Kornimate/medical-research-clean huggingface dataset:
the effect of combination therapy amino acid l-carnitine and magnesium on fatty liver

Conditions: Fatty Liver, Nonalcoholic

Summary: l-carnitine is an amino acid that is naturally produced in the liver and kidneys, it is involved in transporting fatty acids across the mitochondrial membrane, it could be an important component in treating a fatty liver disease. the investigators conduct a study to evaluate the efficacy of the combination of l-carnitine and magnesium as a treatment for fatty liver.

a phase 3, randomized, double blind placebo controlled study that evaluate the efficacy of l-carnitine and magnesium as a treatment for fatty liver, 60 eligible patients with a diagnosis of nafdl will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either the trial product " slim water" that contains l-carnitine and magnesium for a duration of 16 weeks, or placebo for the initial 8 weeks and continue another 8 weeks with the trial product "slim water". 'follow up time is estimated to be 24 week based on monthly clinic visits and accordingly assessment of lipid profile, weight and insulin resistance. fibrotest will be used at the beginning of the trial and at the end (week 16) comparing the fat content before and after the treatment.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * male and female between the age 18 and 75. * patients with diagnosis of nafld when other etiologies for fatty liver were ruled out. * patients who sign a confirmed consent. exclusion criteria: * patients with liver failure. * patients with acute or chronic renal failure ( cct\ 1.5 mg/dl) * patients with congestive heart failure (nyha 3-4) * patients with active cancer * patients on estrogen therapy, mtx, chloroquine. * patients with a history of hypothyroidism or cushing disease. * patients who received tpn in the past 6 months. * patients with chronic liver disease, a1at, hemochromatosis, wilson, autoimmune, toxic injury. * patients on anticoagulation therapy - coumadin. * patients who use valproic acid therapy. * children, pregnancy.
a trial to compare xifaxan to vancomycin for the treatment of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (cdad)

Conditions: Clostridium Infections; Diarrhea

Summary: the purpose of this study is to assess the treatment and safety of a 10-day course of rifaximin (xifaxan) as compared to vancomycin for treatment of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (cdad).

clostridium difficile is a bacterium that proliferates when normal colonic flora have been altered, most commonly due to antibiotic use. clostridium difficile is non-invasive and localized to the lumen of the colon. once established, it produces 2 potent toxins, a and b. the principal reservoir for clostridium difficile is the hospital environment, with the risk of acquiring clostridium difficile increasing in direct proportion to the length of hospital stay. patients with cdad typically present with profuse watery or mucoid diarrhea and cramping abdominal pain. additional symptoms include fever, nausea, anorexia, malaise, and bloody stool. more severe cases may be complicated by dehydration, electrolyte disturbances, ileus, and peritonitis. systemic manifestations may include prerenal azotemia, sepsis syndrome, and toxic colitis. white blood cell counts (wbcs) also may be markedly elevated with a shift to immature forms. extreme presentation of fulminant colitis may require a colectomy and even result in death. symptoms of cdad may begin a few days after initiation of antibiotic therapy or up to 8 weeks after its discontinuation.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * subject is 18 years of age or older, has acute diarrhea and at least 1 other sign of enteric infection present, such as fever, nausea/loss of appetite, vomiting, severe abdominal pain or discomfort. * subject has a positive clostridium difficile stool toxin assay at screening exclusion criteria: * subject has had a previous episode of clinically diagnosed clostridium difficile within the past 6 months. * subject has chronic diseases associated with diarrhea (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease or diarrhea predominant irritable bowel syndrome \[dibs\]) * subject has had any therapy with any agent administered for the treatment of clostridium difficile prior to randomization.

Keywords: clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (cdad) cdad c diff
pain outcomes during rigid cystoscopy in females with and without cystoscopic sheath obturator

Conditions: Dysuria

Summary: rigid cystoscopy is a common procedure to evaluate lower urinary tract symptoms in females. this procedure can be done with or without an instrument called a sheath obturator. both techniques are used by surgeons and are considered safe, but have never been studied to see if one technique leads to less discomfort with the patient's first void after the procedure. the obturator's use may potentially reduce urethral irritation and bothersome postprocedural symptoms, primarily dysuria. the investigators aim to determine whether there is a difference in dysuria outcomes postoperatively when cystoscopy is performed with or without an obturator.

rigid cystoscopy is a common procedure to evaluate lower urinary tract symptoms in females. this procedure can be done with or without an instrument called a sheath obturator (or obturator for short). there are two acceptable insertion techniques for performing cystoscopy in women. surgeons can perform cystoscope without the use of the obturator by using a "visual" technique where a telescope with a sheath is inserted for entry into the bladder (referred to as cystoscopy without the obturator). surgeons can also perform cystoscopy by using an obturator with a sheath allowing for smooth entry without needing the telescope (referred to as cystoscopy with the obturator). both techniques are used by surgeons and are considered safe, but have never been studied to see if one technique leads to less discomfort with the patient's first void after the procedure. the obturator's use may potentially reduce urethral irritation and bothersome postprocedural symptoms, primarily dysuria. the investigators aim to determine whether there is a difference in dysuria outcomes postoperatively when cystoscopy is performed with or without an obturator.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * female patients scheduled for gynecological procedures where cystoscopy is indicated * ability to comprehend and participate in the study exclusion criteria: * \< 18 years * pregnancy * current pelvic mesh erosion * exposure or pain complications from mesh * genitourinary malignancy; * history of recurrent urinary tract infection (e.g., 2 in 6 months)

Keywords: rigid cystoscopy obturator sheath urogynecology
combined cognitive and physical exercises through computer games in elderly: the llm project

Conditions: Mild Cognitive Impairment; Mild Dementia; Healthy

Summary: the study involved information and communication technologies (ict) and more specifically computer exercises blended with game activities. it was hypothesized that ict facilitated, game blended combined cognitive and physical exercise improves global cognition when compared to a control group; and that the number of sessions within exercising participants predict cognitive benefits. in addition, we explored the impact of potential moderators on combined exercise-induced cognitive benefits.

the multicenter study was part of the long lasting memories (llm) project (www.longlastingmemories.eu), which was funded by the european commission (information and communication technologies policy support program (ict-psp) for a three year period (2009-2012). it used a pre-post-test design with the between-participant factor group \[intervention vs. passive control\]. post-test was conducted within 2 weeks after completion of the exercise period. interventions were carried out in athens and thessaloniki (greece) within day care centers, hospitals, senior care centers, a memory outpatient center, local parishes, at university campus facilities (university community installations), and at participants' homes. institutions had to provide at least 5 exercise weeks, with a frequency of at least 1 physical and 2 cognitive exercise sessions per week, resulting in at least 5 physical and 10 cognitive exercise sessions in total.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: no severe cognitive impairment \[mini-mental state examination, mmse ≥ 18\], fluent language skills, agreement of a medical doctor and time commitment to the test and exercise protocol. exclusion criteria: concurrent participation in another study, severe physical or psychological disorders which precluded participation in the intervention (i.e., inability to follow instructions), unrecovered neurological disorders such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, unstable medication within the past three months, severe and uncorrectable vision problems, or hearing aid for less than three months.

Keywords: cognitive training physical training exercise games novelty serious games computer training mild cognitive impairment mild dementia healthy elderly
small airways involvement in smoker asthmatic patients: a pilot study

Conditions: Asthma

Summary: asthma is an inflammatory disease affecting the whole respiratory system, from central to peripheral airways. anti-inflammatory treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ics), with or without long-acting β2-adrenoceptor agonists (laba), is the cornerstone of asthma management \[gina guideline - available at www.ginasthma.com\]. nevertheless, a considerable subset of asthmatic patients neither benefits from ics nor gain optimal asthma control even with ics/laba combinations. the involvement of the distal lung, i.e. the peripheral membranous bronchioles \< 2 mm in diameter (so-called small airways), in the pathogenesis of asthma has been extensively investigated and its significance debated. however, whether specifically targeting distal lung abnormalities can lead to further clinical benefit is still an open question. in this context, interest has been raised by hydrofluoroalkane (hfa) pressurised metered-dose inhalers, which can deliver compounds with a mass median aerodynamic diameter that is significantly smaller than other available devices, leading to increase peripheral airways drug deposition. up to 30% of asthmatic patients smoke, mirroring the rate found in the general population. several data document that smoking habit negatively affect corticosteroid efficacy in asthma. in particular, asthmatic patients who smoke experience faster lung function decline, increased frequency of exacerbations and reduced asthma control despite being regularly treated. several molecular mechanisms have been proposed to address the issue of reduced corticosteroids responsiveness in smoker patients. however it has been never investigated whether reduced corticosteroid responsiveness in asthmatic patients who smoke can be related to more severe small airways involvement leading to impaired distribution or impaired peripheral deposition of inhaled corticosteroids. if this is the case, asthmatic patients who smoke might benefit from a pharmacological approach able to target and to reach small airways.


Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * patients aged 18-50 years old, at stage 2-3 according to gina international guidelines * patients must be free from an exacerbation from at least 2 months * patients must be on inhaled treatment (ics alone or combination ics/laba) other than extrafine formulations from at least 3 months. * according to smoking habit, patients will be divided in two groups: 1. nonsmokers: patients who never smoked 2. smokers: patients with a smoking habit ranging from 10 to 20 pack/years. exclusion criteria: * to avoid possible overlapping with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, patients will not be included in the study if any of the following exclusion criteria are present: * aged \> 50 years * heavy-smoker patients (pack/years \> 20) * patients with a not fully reversible airflow obstruction (i.e. post-bronchodilator fev1/fvc \< 70%) * patients with an impaired diffusion capacity (dlco \< 80%v predicted).

Keywords: asthma cigarette smoke small airways lung function asthma control
home-based e-biking intervention among individuals with cerebral palsy

Conditions: Cerebral Palsy

Summary: investigation of the feasibility of virtually group-based e-biking training at home. individuals aged 13-60 years with cp (cerebral palsy) with a gross motor function classification system score of 1-3 were recruited for a 12-week home-based e-biking training program.

all participants should be able to use a touchscreen, as this type of technology is used in the virtual e-biking training. participants complete a questionnaire and subsequently engage in 12 weeks of home-based virtual e-biking training. a loaned bicycle will be provided for the training period and set up in the participants' own homes. setup and adjustments will be performed by trained healthcare personnel. the following measurements will be taken before and after the training period: weight, height, hip-waist measurements, blood pressure, a 30-second sit-to-stand test, a timed-up-and-go test, ankle measurements, and a functional threshold power test (ftp). seven accelerometers will be attached to the right and left arms, thighs, lower legs, and sternum using njap patches and worn for 72 hours at the beginning and end of the training period. the accelerometers can be easily removed after 72 hours. the e-biking intervention consists of 3 sessions per week at the beginning of the study and gradually increases over the training period to 6 sessions per week, with three of these sessions being online and group-supervised.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * individuals with cerebral palsy (gmfcs 1-3) * are able to keep balance on a stationary bike * are able to use a touchscreen exclusion criteria: -

Keywords: home-based e-biking monitoring cerebral palsy feasibility
to compare the progressive cracking technique and conventional chop technique on corneal endothelial cells in patients with hard nucleus cataract

Conditions: Hard Nuclear Cataract; Corneal Endothelial Cell; Progressive Cracking Technique

Summary: approximately 60 participants at eye hospital of wenzhou medical university during january,2017 to june 2021 will be enroll in our study. and dived them randomly into 2 groups:progressive cracking technique (30 eyes) and conventional chop technique (30 eyes) .


Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * cataract with grade iv\~v nucleus sclerosis * cataract surgery is planned * the operation was successful without any complications exclusion criteria: * patients with other diseases that affect the corneal endothelium * has a history of anterior segment surgery * failure to cooperate with follow-up
the natural history of community-associated mrsa infections and decolonization strategies

Conditions: Abscesses; Furunculosis; Staphylococcus Aureus; Staphylococcal Skin Infections

Summary: the purpose of this study is to determine the natural history of community-associated staphylococcus aureus infections in both adult and pediatric patients by monitoring the rate of recurrent infections in those colonized with s. aureus. in addition, this study will evaluate the efficiency of commonly prescribed decolonization measures in patients presenting with s. aureus skin and soft tissue infections.

infections with community-associated methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (ca-mrsa) range in severity from superficial skin abscesses to invasive soft tissue infections like cellulitis and pyomyositis. there has been a large increase in the number of patients presenting to our institution with ca-mrsa infections. colonization with s. aureus (sa) may be linked to the development of infection but data on this phenomenon are limited. the recurrence rate for ca-mrsa soft tissue infections is unknown. a variety of decolonization strategies have been used for infection prophylaxis with varying results, primarily in patients undergoing hemodialysis or surgery. this study seeks to determine the recurrence rate of soft tissue infections among patients with ca-mrsa infections and to determine a reasonable and efficacious decolonization strategy to eradicate ca-mrsa from previously infected patients. the proposed methods for decolonization will be tested in a randomized controlled trial with four intervention arms. the intervention arms are: (1) intensive education on prevention of skin infections through improvements in personal hygiene (also serves as "control group"), (2) application of mupirocin in the nasal mucosa alone, (3) a combination of nasal application of mupirocin and chlorhexidine showers, and (4) a combination of nasal application of mupirocin and bathing in dilute bleach water. the "control" group as well as the three other arms will receive intensive hygiene education. decolonization with mupirocin ointment and chlorhexidine showers or dilute bleach baths in combination are likely to be more successful than either the application of nasal mupirocin ointment alone or hygiene measures alone. it is expected that these decolonization methods will result in a 50% relative reduction in mrsa colonization at 6 months.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * any patient who presents with at least one serious skin or soft tissue infection requiring incision and drainage at an affiliated institution or clinic in the st. louis metropolitan area exclusion criteria: * patients with permanent indwelling catheters or percutaneous medical devices * patients with a history of dialysis treatments, long term care facility admission, or presents with a surgical wound infection within the past year * patients who are pregnant
feasibility trial for detecting drug-induced respiratory depression and prompting for self-rescue

Conditions: Healthy

Summary: this is a small trial to test feasibility of an idea for a potential device. the investigators tested the feasibility of prompting a volunteer to breathe when their breathing had slowed down during administration of anesthetic drugs.


Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * american society of anesthesia (asa) class i and class ii male and female (non-pregnant/non-lactating) volunteers. * normal healthy individual as indicated by medical history and a physical examination. * at least 18 years of age and less than 55 years of age. * negative drug screen. * uncomplicated airway anatomy. * a body mass index between 18 and 32. * are fully informed of the risks of entering the study and willingly provide written consent to enter the trial. * female subjects of child bearing potential will have a negative urine pregnancy test on the day the study is conducted. exclusion criteria: * known or suspected neurological pathologies. * a history of significant alcohol or drug abuse, a history of allergy to opioids or propofol, or a history of chronic drug requirement or medical illness that is known to alter the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of remifentanil and propofol. * known obstructive sleep apnea. * known or suspected hypersensitivity to any compound present in the study. * any potential subject suffering from medical problems that, in the judgment of the investigator, presents unacceptable risk to the volunteer are not eligible for enrollment. * vulnerable subject groups such as prisoners and the mentally disabled that are traditionally excluded from medical research are also excluded. * the potential subject has taken any medication within 2 days prior to chosen drug administration, with the exception of oral contraceptives. * the potential subject is wearing artificial nails. * a positive urine pregnancy test (females only) * female subjects who are currently lactating \& breast-feeding. * a positive drug-screening test. * the subject consumed food or fluids within 8 hours prior to start of each chosen drug administration. * any medications or alcohol within 2 days prior to start of the chosen drug administration, with the exception of oral contraceptives.

Keywords: feasibility trial
electromagnetic navigation during ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy for venous malformations

Conditions: Venous Malformation

Summary: the aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of assisted electromagnetic navigation in percutaneous echo-guided sclerotherapy of slow-flow vascular malformations. feasibility will be defined in terms of the percentage of patients for whom the procedure is successful.

primary interventional treatment of low flow vascular anomalies includes ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy. each procedure involves a percutaneous needle insertion. however, procedures remain complicated to obtain the right trajectory in order to inject the foam at the center of the abnormality. electromagnetic navigation system tracks the operator's needle, meaning the position and progression of the needle is visualized in 3d real time on the ultrasound probe interface. the present trial evaluate the feasibility of the electromagnetic navigation system during the needle insertion and the improvement of needle placement accuracy.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * low flow vascular abnormality diagnosed by duplex ultrasound and mri * decision of ultrasound guided percutaneous foam sclerotherapy taken in multidisciplinary staff meeting exclusion criteria: * patients with pacemakers or internal defibrillator * patients with ferromagnetic implanted material * patients who are wards of court or under guardianship * patients deprived of freedom by judicial or administrative decision * patients under legal protection * pregnant women

Keywords: foam sclerotherapy ultrasound electromagnetic navigation
medical student intervention to promote effective nicotine dependence and tobacco healthcare

Conditions: Smoking

Summary: background: smoking counselling during hospitalisation with post-discharge follow-up increases quitting. however, provision of cessation care for hospitalised patients is suboptimal. students are potentially an untapped resource for providing cessation advice, but no studies have investigated this. aim: to determine if medical students can encourage motivation to stop smoking (mtss; primary outcome) in hospitalised smokers . design: 2-arm rct setting: rcsi (www.rcsi.ie) and connolly hospital (www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/3/hospitals/connolly/). participants: inpatient smokers. intervention and procedures: 60 graduate medical students will receive standardised motivational interviewing training in the provision of cessation advice. each student will be randomly assigned to counsel \~1-3 smokers each, including an individual in-hospital, face-to-face session and post-discharge phone counselling. training and implementation will cover sept-2015-may-2016. smokers will be randomised to 'usual care' (n\~90), or intervention (n\~90, student-delivered motivational interviewing). a researcher will enable recruitment and follow-up, and conduct a qualitative evaluation of programme participants.


Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * all identified inpatient smokers at connolly hospital. exclusion criteria: * advised by ward manager that patient is too unwell or cognitively impaired, or otherwise unsuitable; * death during hospitalisation; * receiving palliative care; * under 18 years of age; * to be transferred to another hospital; * not english speaking; * refusal to participate; * inpatient in psychiatric ward

Keywords: smoking cessation tobacco use cessation motivational interviewing students, medical randomized controlled trial